Preview of the photographic exhibition "Wine. Beyond Landscape" by Zenato

On Monday, October 19th in the presence of the Italian Ambassador Luigi Mattiolo, took place the preview of the exhibition "Wine. Beyond landscape", the second Zenato Academy's four-year photographic project as part of the European Month of Photography EMOP Berlin.

The grand opening took place without the public in compliance with the anti-Covid regulations, therefore there was a screening of a video from the Zenato winery in Peschiera del Garda with Nadia Zenato and the curator of the exhibition Luca Panaro. It is possible to book guided tours with the artists on the Embassy's website.

This is a second project after the exhibition "Wine. Beyond the Objects", that took place in 2019 and featured students of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. This time it’s a collaboration with the students of f/16 school of photography in Berlin, curated by professor Martina della Valle. 

"With Zenato Academy we set up the ambitious project of creating a place dedicated to young artists in the field of photography, where they could meet and exchange experiences and express the intimate link between winemaking traditions and photographic art" – declares Nadia Zenato, the owner of the Zenato winery known for its Lugana wines and red wines of Valpolicella, such as the famous Amarone. "Beyond is the keyword of the project, but also the vision of our company and terroir: to see, to act, to think and to overcome the limits. And Beyond we go every day in the vineyard and the cellar, thanks to the attention paid to improving actions, refining processes, and examining the results of the experiments. Beyond because it's not just the techniques we use, that make our products, but also values and feelings." 

"For this reason, I would like to thank Ambassador Luigi Mattiolo - continues Zenato - for believing in our cultural initiative and for the Embassy's commitment to promoting the excellence of our country".

"This 9th edition of the EMOP in Berlin takes place in unique circumstances -declares Ambassador Luigi Mattiolo - in these difficult weeks marked by the coronavirus pandemic. It is also the first time that the Embassy of Italy has participated in an exhibition during the European Month of Photography and I am pleased that we have managed to hold this opening despite the restrictions of a maximum number of people allowed and social distancing. Today, the normality as we knew it, is being put to the test. But even during these times, photography can still be a powerful tool of change. By shedding the light on the truth, photography can change the world and alter public opinion."

"The days spent in the Zenato estates in Lugana and Valpolicella, surrounded by the vines during the harvest, have inspired the birth of the projects closely linked to the local territory.

Experiencing everything first hand, getting to know the people who live and work there, searching through the folds of the landscape and the layers of the territory, were some of the precious activities that led to the creation of a narrative of images deeply inspired by the company", says tutor Martina della Valle. 

Students involved in the project: Lisa Dollhopf, Stefanie Dollhopf, Jorge Garrido, Lara Sapper, Marina Villanueva.

Photo credits by Enrico Caruso